Nothing!

Next question…

Now let’s wake up and return to reality. There are some great, free Bible software solutions. The most popular is e-Sword. But if you want modern translations, then you likely will have to pay even with e-Sword. So how much should you have to pay if you want more than just public domain Bible study tools?

The more commercial products range from $30-$90 for a very basic product. Yet, you can also pay thousands of dollars for extensive, scholarly libraries from companies like Logos or WordSearch. These are very good applications that will help the average Christian read, study, and learn about the Bible and its message while offering Bible scholars the advanced tools they need. If you get one of the inexpensive collections of these programs you may later want to add some books to help further you study. To do so you will usually have to pay.

So, how much should Bible software cost? Or more accurately, how much should publishers charge for their books in electronic format?

I have an Amazon Kindle. Typically, books are cheaper on the Kindle than in hard copy format – or as I like to call it, dead tree edition (not because I am a big environmentalist extremist, but because it’s just funnier). I think this is fair since it costs Amazon far less to store, ship and distribute electronic books than it does dead tree editions. Shouldn’t all ebooks be cheaper than the dead tree editions?

Digital editions of Bibles and Biblical resources is not as simple as sending a Word file, text document or PDF of the books over the Internet. In Bible software they have to tag it, add hyperlinks to Bible references, among other things. This can be labor intensive. Some are just text. But the better Bible software engines do more to the book than they do to a dead tree edition.  So it takes extra effort to make a Bible software copy of a book and it has added functionality. So why not make it cost more? Digits do not cost any money to reproduce after the original file has been produced. With a book, there is a cost with every copy of that book that is sold. The cost is tied up in the actual paper and ink, the storage while the book is waiting to be sent to the customer or the store, and the cost of the sending.  With an ebook you simple copy it to a new location.  As the cost of storage plummets, we are talking pennies or fractions of a penny. The Bible software company only has to have enough copies on a hard drive somewhere to ensure it is backed up safely. Every time a consumer buys that book, they just make a copy and either send it across the Internet or put it on a cheap storage medium, like a DVD or flash drive.  Each copy of the Bible software and the dozens or thousands of books costs pennies to dollars in raw material.  Add a little bit for the cost of the person who is taking the order (if there is such a person) and the other overhead of supporting that program, and you have a minimal cost compared to dead tree books. So, instead of costing them more because of the extra work on the front end, the ebook actually costs much less to produce. Therefore, instead of being more or even equal in price, the ebook should be cheaper than the dead tree book.

There is another issue to consider. With ebooks there is a far greater risk than there is with dead tree books. What if the company goes out of business or stops distributing the program. I have Zondervan’s Pradis version of Expositor’s Bible Commentary. After this year, they won’t be selling it. And soon they will not be supporting it. The argument could be made that I can always use that program and the books contain in it. But what if the next version of Windows is incompatible with the current program? I will be stuck either maintaining a current generation Windows PC just to use that program or I will lose it. Of course Zondervan can help alleviate my fears and those of others by giving us a free copy of the Logos versions. But that is unlikely given their track record.

For two reasons stated above – the added risk of ebooks and lower cost of producing them – Bible software companies should sell their Bibles and resources at a reduced rate.  The good news, most do. But the point is all should.